The Tossers – Agony

For fans of Flogging Molly, The Pogues and The Mighty Regis, I present you with the Chicago-spawned The Tossers; combining traditional Irish instrumentation and story telling with the aggression of punk rock.  The result is a product that you more often find yourself dancing too rather than thrashing too.  Agony is the band’s official sixth release and all of their core elements are prominently featured; relationships, booze, politics and whatever comes to the mind of frontman Tony Duggins, all told from a negative viewpoint.

Cynicism and frustration permeate the otherwise mildly up-beat instrumentation (I say “mildly” as the happier songs feel more like someone suffering from depression forcing themselves to be in a good mood – like a clown crying as he entertains) as Agony unabashedly shows the darker side of life and love much like the drunken misanthropist at your local pub.  With lyrics like, “To entertain my dear old friends, every whore and thief and tinker. Who are loyal to the end, for they are loyal to a drink, sir”, it’s not hard to feel a bit jaded and mistrusting of your fellow man. Key Tracks – “Never Enough”, “Siobhan”, “Leopardstowne Races”.
 

Captain Morgan
Big Wheel Music Contributor
 

 

 

Music from the Used Record Bin

 

 

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Choking Victim – No Gods No Managers

There are many bands that classify themselves as maintaining both Ska and Punk influences in their music, fusing both styles to create what most call "Skunk". While Choking Victim is a band well known for combining both genres in their music, their style and method is unlike most "Skunk" out there. The majority of Ska out there sustains both upbeat natures of what makes Ska: upbeat tempos and upbeat lyrics. What separates Choking Victim from the majority of Ska bands is both the lyrical content of the band's music, and even the musical nature. Released through Hellcat Records in 1999, Choking Victim's stand on everything that is wrong with America and mankind is manifested through the music found in "No Gods No Managers".

The lyrics found throughout "No Gods No Managers" appear to possess a "Crust Punk" nature, but the band's music is anything but. Choking Victim constantly challenges authority and the ideals of society that seem to corrupt individuals and morality more than anything else. The band uses satire, humor, and irony in their lyrical content to demonstrate their anarchistic point of view and enlighten anyone who's willing to listen. Throughout the album, the band uses excerpts from speeches by political scientist Michael Parenti to further push the ideas of the songs. "No Gods No Managers" purposely provides anti-Christian lyrics and even Satanic artwork in the album for the mere function of offending people. Witty, informative, and enlightening, "No Gods No Managers" possesses ideals of its own which are persuasive and even oddly logical. The album ultimately provides what most music today fails to administer to its listener: truth.
 

 

-Stephanie M.-
Big Wheel Online Magazine
 

 

 

Music from the Used Record Bin

 

 

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Narcoleptic Youth – Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed

I’ve always found Colorado to be somewhat boring. The last time I was there visiting family, I made it a priority to find a good record store that is similar to the ones we have in Orange County.  We found one that reminded me of Orange County so it felt like home. They had band posters everywhere, show listings, t-shirts, etc.  Not to mention they had a great selection of used Punk rock music. I just wish I remembered the name of the record store!

I bought several CD’s that day, one being Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed from Narcoleptic Youth. It was only 5 dollars so how could I resist?  It was released on Gale Force Records in 2004. So when this disc came out, the first four tracks were considered “new”. It opens with Dear John (Don’t Drink the Punch), which happens to be one of my favorites.  If you’ve seen Narcoleptic Youth before, it’s a pretty well known song that they often play live. It’s followed by Black 11, One More Saki, and Feel the Sickness. The next two tracks are “borrowed”. Narcoleptic Youth covers Bullet by The Misfits and Ignite by The Damned. Ignite is actually my other favorite on this CD. They did one hell of a job covering this song. Joey Bondage almost sounds just like the Damned vocalist, Dave Vanian. The last five tracks are “old” and are live recordings from 1998 at the Orange Pavilion in San Bernardino. The last track, Double Jointed Circus Monkey, has what you can call a secret track. It features around 30 seconds of them covering Manny, Moe, and Jack from the Dickies, them attempting to record Bullet, and of course some messing around making funny voices.

Overall, this is a pretty cool CD.  If you’re a fan of Narcoleptic Youth, I suggest you check it out. You’ll easily be drawn to it.
 

 

-Corrina P.-
Music scene reporter
Big Wheel Online Magazine
 

 

 

Music from the Used Record Bin

 

 

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Amy Winehouse – Back To Black

Amy Winehouse is perhaps one of the most talented female artists to hit the mainstream music scene during the last decade. Amy Winehouse's voice could be compared to voices like Aretha Franklin and even Mariah Carey, though Amy Winehouse's vocal range is completely different. "Back To Black", Amy Winehouse's second album which was released through Island Records, showcases the singer's talents by traveling back through music time and maintaining the girl group doo-wop sounds of the 1950s and 1960s. The album focuses on re-introducing us to the soulful music that labels like Motown once produced, and proves that Amy Winehouse's powerful voice surpasses the mold.

"Back To Black" is a unique combination of Soul, Jazz, Doo-Wop, and even Rock steady/Ska. The different influences combine to produce an album that would make you believe it came out of your parent's oldies collection, except the album contains outstanding amounts of flair. Amy Winehouse's vocals will amaze you and make you wonder why people don't put away their Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga albums to discover and experience the raw talent that Amy Winehouse embodies. While Amy Winehouse's personal life earns her a bad rep with the public, her musical talent far outweighs the negativity surrounding the artist, which "Back To Black" makes evident. If you're doing some soul-searching, "Back To Black" will guide you back and bring some soul straight into your life and ipod.
 

 

-Stephanie M.-
Big Wheel Online Magazine
 

 

 

Music from the Used Record Bin

 

 

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Radiohead – Kid A

I like Radiohead. Well, let me rephrase that, I appreciate Radiohead. I don’t worship them like most Indie kids do, but I also know enough to recognize the genius that they possess. Kid A is a concept album about the first artificial intelligent being. It’s not the best choice of music to listen to if you're driving in LA traffic as it is more meant for zoning out (not something I recommend while behind the wheel). 11 tracks of pure ambiance from a band originally passed off as another indie waste of time in the early nineties. My personal favorite track is "How to Disappear Completely"; so haunting, it pierces straight to my core and allows me to release any trapped B.S. from the day. It’s a good album, I highly recommend it if you're an avid hallucinogen taker. 

 

Captain Morgan
Big Wheel Music Contributor
 

 

 

Music from the Used Record Bin

 

 

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Son of Sam – Songs from the Earth

If you're a Misfits, Danzig, Samhain, Tiger Army or AFI fan, then this album belongs in your possession.  A (initially apparent) one-off album by a group of horror rock/Punk pioneers featuring Davey Havok (AFI), Todd Youth (Danzig),  Steve Zing (Samhain) and London May (Tiger Army/Samhain) on the drums.  If the Misfits never decided to make a comeback with Michael Graves in the mid to late nineties, Son of Sam could have taken off like a rocket. I'm particularly akin to the tracks “Michael”, “Of Power”, and “Satiate”. Though this band may never play a show or release another album in its original form (the group came back together with a new singer and drummer in 2007), it is most definitely a core album to my collection. I strongly suggest you begin the hunt for it, as not many albums were released and I doubt it will be re-released.
 

Captain Morgan
Big Wheel Music Contributor
 

 

 

Music from the Used Record Bin

 

 

                                                     Check out other records in the used bin HERE

 

 

 

 

 

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